Percy Bysshe Shelley (4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was only thirty
when he passed away. While not famous during this lifetime, he is now regarded
by some critics as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. He was
forward thinking in his poetry, as well as in his political and social views,
and a key member of a close circle of visionary poets, such as Lord Byron and
his own second wife, Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. Shelley was
best known for the poems such as Ozymandias, Ode to the West Wind,
The Cloud, To a Skylark, The Masque of Anarchy, Queen
Mab, and Music, When Soft Voices Die. Prometheus Unbound is
widely considered to be his masterpiece.